After eight years in Manteca, Los Angeles transplant Jennifer Munoz and her family have established the tradition of going downtown every Christmastime to see Santa Claus.

"It reminds me of my own childhood. It's not that way anymore," said Munoz, 42, the mother of four, including a 4-year-old who absolutely loves visiting with Santa.

This year, though, when the family went for its annual visit, Munoz took stock of the poor condition of the hut the Downtown Merchants Association provides for Santa's layover in the heart of the south San Joaquin County city at Main Street and Yosemite Avenue.

The deterioration was so disturbing to Munoz that as soon as she got home, she went to work establishing an online fundraising effort - known as crowdfunding - seeking $3,000 or more to help build a new house for Santa. That site can be found at GiveForward.com,, then search for "Giving Back to Santa."

"It's the cutest little hut, but it's just old," Munoz said.

The current hut - expertly constructed when it was donated for the cause about 50 years ago by the late Manteca developer and philanthropist Antone Raymus - now suffers from dry rot, mold, numerous cracks, sagging, missing shingles and a roof that's beginning to separate.

The hut got a new coat of white paint with appropriate green and red trim about 10 years ago, but that hasn't kept the inevitable decay from creeping in. It also needs a new heating system to allow a photo printer to operate properly.

And Santa has made a special request: He wants his new downtown Manteca house to have a wheelchair ramp so all children can sit with him inside and make their wishes known.

Manteca's Santa is Ben Jetton, 65, a retired school bus driver - only the third man in that role during the past five decades - who said he does it because he loves kids.

"It's beyond repair," Jetton said of the hut, which he has worked on over the years along with dedicated volunteer Dennis Bedford. Jetton said he would like to see Santa's new house - measuring about 27 feet long by 8 feet wide - set up permanently on a trailer, instead of jacked up on brick piers.

Jetton said when Santa visits the downtown Manteca corner - from 1 to 6 p.m. every day now through Christmas Eve - he makes a point of not hurrying the children.

The children can take their time talking to Santa and get their photo taken with him for $5. If the cost is a problem, parents are allowed to use their own cameras to take photos. And Santa - worried about traumatizing younger children who might be scared of the bearded man in red - has a special way of appearing in every photo.

"We call it stealth mode. We guarantee a picture with the child not crying," Jetton said. "Just like me, I'm afraid of the 6-foot Easter Bunny."

Should Munoz be successful with her fundraiser, Jetton said "$3,000 would be a gift from heaven. That would get us well on our way. We're mainly looking for manpower now."

Speaking for the merchants group that provides the hut and hosts Santa's visits, Tipton's Stationery owner Bea Bowlsby was originally unaware of Munoz's effort to raise money. She said her group was "well aware of the problems" with Santa's hut but just didn't get around to fixing it up in time for this season.

"We'll do our own thing. We're not asking for donations. Whatever she wants to do with the money, there are plenty of worthy causes here in town. That would be nice, pass it on to the Boys & Girls Club or Haven of Peace, anybody who can use a little help," Bowlsby said, seeking to downplay the need for additional funding.

Whatever the outcome of her fundraising efforts - by Wednesday afternoon, the website had recorded 17 donations totaling $530 - Munoz expressed gratitude and amazement at the outpouring of support she's received.

"A licensed contractor showed up yesterday and said, 'Whenever you are ready.' I can't even speak on the donations - it is a blessing to be from a small community. This would not happen in L.A. There are so many religions and people from so many backgrounds, but this is the one thing that everybody is pulling together for, putting our differences behind us," Munoz said.

Jetton, who hopes to continue his role for many years to come, said his takeaway from helping Santa out is "the love from the children, especially the ones with special needs, the autistic children, the homeless children, the ones living in cars. I try to put a little cheer in everyone's life."

Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or jgoldeen@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/goldeenblog and on Twitter @JoeGoldeen.